


Illya forgets English

by miserableandmagical



Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (TV)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:00:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26448940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miserableandmagical/pseuds/miserableandmagical
Summary: What happens when Illya forgets how to speak English?What happens when Illya forgets English and he and Napoleon need to take down THRUSH?
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

Napoleon watched as Illya took great interested in his paperwork and ignored the world around him. This would have been a usual state of affairs if not for the fact that Illya had spent the past half an hour reading one paper. His partner had also been silent for the past three days, not even a sarcastic comment aimed in Napoleon’s direction.

“That paperwork very interesting.” Napoleon watched as Illya re-entered the world, paused and seemed to think through his question.  
“It is paperwork.”  
Napoleon nodded.  
“So dull?”  
Illya paused again.  
“It is paperwork.”  
Napoleon nodded again and thought to himself.  
“Did you get hit on the head recently?”  
Illya looked up and frowned at him. They’d both been on several solo missions recently and while neither of them minded working alone, they did prefer to work as a team. Napoleon wondered whether his partner had been more injured more than he’d admitted.

“What?”  
Napoleon sighed and rolled his chair over to Illya’s.  
“You.” He pointed at Illya. “Hit head.” He knocked his knuckles against his head. Illya sighed, shrugged and leant back in his chair.  
“Do you remember any English?” Napoleon asked. Illya glared at him and then just looked dejected.  
“Some. It here.” Illya pointed at his head. “Not here.” He waved his hands around.   
Napoleon thought for a second and pointed at Illya and then the chair.  
“You stay.” He heard Illya shout after him as he left their office.  
“I’m not a dog.”  
Laughing he made his way to Waverly. So, Illya still understood English.


	2. Chapter 2

“So, our Russian can’t quite speak English. That is a problem.” Mr Waverly turned to look out the windows. Napoleon waited. “You are both due an extended holiday and I’m sure we can cope without you for a while.”  
“You want me to teach Illya, English again.”  
Mr Waverly turned to face Solo.  
“I’m quite sure Mr Kuryakin hasn’t forgotten any English. He just needs a gentle reminded.”  
“And how long would this holiday be?”  
“No more than a week Mr Solo. T.H.U.R.S.H won’t wait for Mr Kuryakin to regain his English.”  
Napoleon nodded and headed to get Illya. The Russian wasn’t going to be happy about this.


	3. Chapter 3

Napoleon had been right. Illya hadn’t been happy. Although, he suspected that it had more to do with his inability to currently speak English, rather than the forced holiday.  
Napoleon had decided that a change of scenery might help so after he and Illya had each packed a bag, he’d shoved the Russian agent into his car and driven him a few hours to a cabin in the woods. The drive over was silent and Illya slept most of the way.   
“Here we are.” He said as he stopped the car. Napoleon grabbed both their bags and dumped his in one bedroom and Illya’s in the spare bedroom. He walked into the kitchen and noticed Illya taking in the room. Mouthing each objects name in Russian and then in English. He wasn’t getting very far.   
“Pushing it isn’t going to help tovarish.”  
Illya just growled at him. Napoleon raised an eyebrow and reached for an object, throwing it to Illya.  
“Cup.”   
He threw it back to Napoleon and received another item.  
“Cookbook.”  
They did this with every object in the kitchen. It took most of the afternoon and Napoleon could see that it was tiring Illya out towards the end.  
“That’s probably enough for today.”  
“Spasibo.”  
“No Russian.”   
“Ya znayu.”  
“You already know Russian.”  
“I know English.”  
Napoleon raised an eyebrow.  
“You try living in another language.”   
Illya’s anger at his inability to remember English seemed to be improving his English. Although, his snapping at Napoleon wasn’t the most promising. Understandable.  
“Fair enough.” Napoleon raised his hands in surrender.  
Illya shook his head and left muttering ‘walk’ on his way out.   
Napoleon waited for the Russian to leave before grabbing a glass and pouring himself a drink. This was going to be a long week.


	4. Chapter 4

Illya returned before dark, but he had been gone long enough that Napoleon had been close to searching for him.  
Illya took the drink Napoleon offered and took a seat on the sofa.  
“I’m sorry Napoleon.”  
“You don’t have anything to be sorry for. Unless you somehow knew that getting hit on the head would make you forget English.”  
Illya looked at Napoleon. Napoleon could see the Russian translating the sentence into Russian and then his response from Russian to English. Illya had once confessed that he thought in a mixture of English and Russian, but that when he was drunk, tired, or in pain he just thought in Russian.  
“Most words there. Can’t st… str…string?” Napoleon nodded. “String words together.”  
Napoleon nodded again. Finally understanding Illya’s problem. All the words were there, the man just didn’t know what to do with them.

They spent the next day going through the house naming objects. If anything, Napoleon’s Russian was improving. Illya's English was still better.


End file.
